Naruto: Get Stronger by Spoiling My Sister

Time slipped by unnoticed. Before he knew it, Neji had already spent a full month under Orochimaru's tutelage. In that time, his progress had been extraordinary his control over chakra had reached a level of microscopic precision.

He'd also learned a number of powerful jutsu. However, none of Orochimaru's signature techniques had been passed on to him not yet, at least. Still, Neji wasn't in a rush. The initiative was his from the start.

As always, he trained in that remote, uninhabited mountain range. After a month of intense effort, the peaks themselves had diminished in size, visibly eroded by his relentless practice. That alone spoke volumes about his dedication.

This day was no different. As usual, Neji left a clone behind in Orochimaru's base to study the scrolls while he came to the mountains to test his new techniques.

But today, something was off.

Just as Neji emerged from the vortex of space, the sound of galloping hooves reached his ears from deep within the forest below. Birds scattered into the sky in a flurry of wings. Neji narrowed his eyes and immediately descended toward the commotion.

In the forest, a group of riders were chasing a young girl, their movements aggressive and urgent.

"Faster! Don't let her escape!"

"She must be taken back today!"

The girl looked increasingly anxious at their words, but the horse she rode was fast and sure-footed, keeping her just ahead of her pursuers. However, at that moment, two figures suddenly appeared in front of her, pulling a thick rope tight across her path.

"Now!"

One of them shouted. With a swift tug, the rope snapped taut, sending the horse crashing to the ground. The girl tumbled off and hit the earth hard. The men behind her, seeing this, surged forward with confidence to seize her.

But then like a flash of white something streaked past them. The two men in the lead abruptly rolled their eyes back and collapsed, unconscious.

"What was that?! Stay alert!" a middle-aged man with glasses barked. Judging by his tone, he was the leader of the group.

"You mean them?"

A voice spoke coldly behind him.

He froze. Sweat broke out along his back. Somehow, without him realizing, all his men had been incapacitated. Only he remained standing.

"Just a bunch of thugs harassing women. Scum," Neji said, face expressionless.

"W-wait, hold on" the man stammered in panic.

But Neji wasn't interested in his excuses. With a swift chop of his hand, he dropped the man to the ground like the rest.

Neji turned toward the girl. Only now did he take a proper look at her: tied-back black hair, a loose green robe, and crimson eyeliner beneath her eyes she gave off a strangely familiar aura, though he couldn't recall ever meeting her before.

The girl stared blankly at the scene before her. Although no blood had been spilled, the sheer intensity of what had just occurred left her shaken. Her body trembled as she gathered the courage to ask, "Did you… kill them?"

"No," Neji replied, glancing at the unconscious men. "They're just knocked out."

He wasn't the kind to kill casually. He wouldn't take a life unless absolutely necessary.

"Huuuh…"

The girl exhaled deeply in relief, though the fear in her eyes hadn't fully vanished.

"You seem worried about them," Neji said, puzzled. Then, half to himself, he muttered, "Whatever. Not my problem."

"Be careful out here," he added with a wave of his hand. In a few flickers, he was gone.

"He doesn't recognize me?" the girl murmured as she stared at the spot where he had vanished. Her voice held a trace of surprise.

Then, as if recalling something, she gasped and hurried back to the fallen men, shaking each of them awake one by one.

Had Neji witnessed this scene, he would have been genuinely shocked. As it turned out, they were all on the same side. No wonder his system hadn't awarded him anything.

It was almost comical how willingly she had walked into their trap again. Predictably, once the men regained consciousness, they promptly grabbed her.

"No! I'm not going! I won't go back there!" she shouted, shaking her head frantically.

The man with the glasses looked at her for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh. But his expression soon hardened with resolve.

"That boy… he took all of us down without even breaking a sweat. If he were to protect her, maybe just maybe…"

His eyes lit up with sudden conviction.

"…maybe the princess could reclaim the throne of the Land of Snow."

High atop the mountain, Neji continued his training.

For him, time was precious. He had only three years to reach a realm that was barely within the grasp of possibility. Even now, making further progress was growing increasingly difficult.

"But I have to at least reach the level of Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama."

He clenched his jaw and formed a series of hand signs. Instantly, five wooden clones materialized around him. Without hesitation, they launched into combat against one another.

Each clone was at least Kage-level in strength a worthy challenge. After all, there was no better opponent than oneself. Fighting his own strengths and weaknesses head-on was the fastest path to growth.

In the blink of an eye, six identical figures clashed violently, battling as if their lives depended on it. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu all unleashed without restraint. The only technique Neji held back was the Dead Bone Pulse.

Time passed. The sky dimmed, and the sun began to set. Exhausted, Neji collapsed onto the bare ground, panting heavily.

"So tired…"

He lay on his back, eyes fixed on the burning clouds of dusk. But just then, he suddenly hurled a shuriken with pinpoint precision, lodging it into a distant tree.

"You've been watching for a while. Still not coming out?"

His voice was icy. More shuriken spun in his hand, ready to fly.

He'd mastered the art of striking from blind spots. Even someone hiding behind a tree wouldn't be safe from his throws he could hit them dead-on just like Itachi could.

A sigh drifted through the air. From behind the tree stepped the man with the glasses none other than the one Neji had taken down earlier.

Neji wasn't surprised. With his Byakugan, nothing escaped him. And after thinking it over, he'd come to suspect that he might've misunderstood the situation. Maybe they hadn't been bandits after all.

Still, he asked curtly, "How did you find me?"

"I took a gamble," the man said honestly. "Looks like I guessed right."

"I see," Neji replied, lowering his guard. He wasn't about to attack an unarmed civilian.

"So what do you want?"

"I'd like to ask a favor," the man said quickly. "And of course, I'll pay you handsomely for your help."

Neji had been about to turn him down. But then he paused. Perhaps taking on a mission treating it as a proper commission might also be a good way to train himself.

"…What is it?"

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